Gareon Conley has not been charged or arrested amid an allegation that the former Ohio State cornerback sexually assaulted a woman earlier this month in a Cleveland hotel room.

At the moment, Cleveland police are investigating the case.

Yet with the NFL draft only a day away, Conley — projected as a probable first-round pick Thursday night — might pay a steep price regardless of whether he’s formally charged. Suddenly, he has a red flag attached to his name as a circumstantial risk on NFL draft boards.

That’s not to assume guilt or innocence. Conley’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, has called the allegations “ludicrous and ridiculous.” The woman (USA TODAY Sports does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault) spoke with police when they arrived at the hotel where the alleged assault occurred, according to the police report. She did not speak with police after she went to the hospital following the incident, the report said.

Conley, 22, met her in an elevator around 3 a.m. ET, according to the report. She accepted his invitation to a room where another man and woman engaged in sexual acts in a bathroom, where the woman said the assault occurred, according to the report.

Witnesses found by police in the hotel room that Conley had vacated maintained that an assault didn’t occur, the report said.

NFL teams just became aware of the allegations in recent days, which became public with a weekend report by WOIO-TV in Cleveland. Conley’s identity as a suspect was revealed Tuesday, when the police report from the April 9 incident was released.

With heightened sensitivity in the NFL regarding sexual assault and domestic violence, and the associated image impact, Conley’s first-round stock is undoubtedly jeopardized as teams scramble to gather relevant information at the 11th hour.

One NFL general manager told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that Conley is now basically in wait-and-see holding pattern. The executive spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue and active status of the case.

“You try not to be surprised by anything,” he added. “But things keep coming along.”

Pending information that teams collect while doing their own investigations, it would be typical that Conley’s case would be presented to an interested team's owner as part of a discussion about his draft status.

One thing for certain: Conley ended up in a spot that threatens his NFL opportunity. His stock will be an intriguing subplot for the reality TV show that is the NFL draft.

Last year, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil — once considered a likely top-five selection — slid to the Miami Dolphins at the No. 13 slot in the first round after a video released just prior to the draft showed an image of him smoking from a gas mask. Two years ago, highly rated offensive lineman La’el Collins left Chicago during draft week after his ex-girlfriend was murdered and police sought to interview him. Collins was eventually cleared and — after his agent told teams not to draft him after the third round — ultimately signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys.

Will Conley’s case go down as another cautionary lesson for draft prospects — or anyone, actually — to more carefully protect their reputation and potential with their actions? Maybe and maybe not — after all, there have been cautionary warnings for a long time.

But every year, it seems, a fresh crop of youngsters comes along with some willing to throw caution to the wind.